Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Online Tutorial
	Module 6: Reducing Problem Behaviors Stating Expectations Clearly and Positively The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition I attended a workshop with Carol Gray, the creator of Social Stories(TM). She gave an interesting perspective on how we state our expectations and give instructions. When we tell a student, “No running!,” a student with autism who has difficulty processing verbal language may not even really “hear” the word “no” at the beginning of your statement. This may lead to a misunderstanding of your instruction. In fact, he or she may think that you’re saying it’s okay to continue running down the hall. Instead, it may be a more effective strategy to tell the student what to do, instead of what NOT to do. Examples of this might be: Walk in the hall (instead of “no running”). Sit in the chair (instead of “stop getting up”). This also goes back to our discussion about students with autism not understanding what to do in some situations. If you only tell them what NOT to do, they won’t necessarily know what they should do. The more clear we make our instructions, the easier it is for a person with autism to understand. Next --> Functional Communication Training (FCT) We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.